Happy 25th Birthday For Dublin's Dart

Budding poets can also see their work featured alongside world-renowned poets on trains, while commuters will be able to sample the dishes of some of the city’s top restaurants at stations next month.

“Because Dart is such a significant part of the daily lives of so many people, the company wanted to celebrate its 25 years in ways that involve commuters and will speak of the unique place Dart has in Dublin’s landscape,” said a spokesman.

“Fun, music, poetry, dining and celebration are all featuring throughout the summer months.

“We’re particularly looking forward to rewarding five loyal Dart customers with free travel for a year.”

A symbol of the capital, the brightly coloured green rail service has featured in movies, televisions shows, and is the only public transport ever taken by Ross O’Carroll Kelly.

The Dart fleet of 154 carriages runs just under 15.5 million km a year between 30 stations in Dublin.

The busiest day in its history was the July 4, 1996 when 250,000 people visited the USS JFK Naval Ship which sailed in to Dun Laoghaire.

The firm plans to expand its service along the Northern line, Maynooth and Hazelhatch and become part of Dart Underground, a 7.5km line running underground from Docklands to Inchicore.

“This will allow the number of trains on all lines to increase dramatically, as well as connecting all rail modes together – Dart, Commuter, Intercity, Luas and Metro – into an integrated network,” added a spokesman.

“The total number of passenger journeys per annum on the Dart and Commuter network will increase from 33 million journeys to over 100 million journeys.”